SATURN Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SATURN RELAY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE REVERSING FROM A DRIVEWAY, THE BRAKES FAILED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE ABS WARNING LIGHTS. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A MAILBOX FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE CONTACT DID NOT SUSTAIN ANY INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE IT WAS ADVISED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE WHEEL HUB NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE BRAKE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000. *TR

TRANSMISSION STOPPED SHIFTING, COULD NOT GET ANY GEAR. MECHANIC SAYS IT IS THE TYPICAL 3-5-R WAVE PLATE ISSUE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE TOLLWAY, ALL ELECTRICAL PARTS ON INSTRUMENT PANEL WENT COMPLETELY OUT, AND THE AIR CONDITIONER STOPPED BLOWING, AND THE RADIO WENT OUT. EVEN THE SPEEDOMETER STOPPED DISPLAYING. THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL SHOWED NOTHING. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN AT JUPITER CHEVROLET IN DALLAS CHARGED US $770 TO REPAIR A WIRING HARNESS THAT THEY SAID WAS RUINED DUE TO A LEAK IN A DRAINAGE HOSE IN THE SUNROOF AND THAT THIS IS COMMON WITH THIS VEHICLE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THERE IS NO RECALL. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS. WATER HAD LEAKED INTO THE PASSENGER FLOOR BOARD AS WELL. *TR

FROM 2010-PRESENT (2013), THE VEHICLE HAS EXHIBITED INTERMITTENT POWER STEERING FAILURE. FAILURES WOULD OCCUR AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR SOME TIME, RANGING FROM SEVERAL MINUTES, TO SEVERAL HOURS. POWER STEERING WOULD CUT OUT WHILE DRIVING, PRESUMABLY AFTER EXTENSIVE UTILIZATION OF THE POWER STEERING MECHANISMS. AT THIS POINT A CHIME WOULD SOUND AND THE "CHECK ENGINE" DASH LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE, INDICATING AN ISSUE WITH THE POWER STEERING. POWER STEERING LOSS WOULD REMAIN UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED. UPON THE RESTART OF THE VEHICLE, THE POWER STEERING WOULD AGAIN RESUME NORMAL OPERATION. FAILURES WOULD OCCUR AT SPORADIC INTERVALS. NO COMMON FACTOR COULD BE EASILY IDENTIFIED SUCH AS TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY, STEERING INTENSITY OR TRIP LENGTH, ALTHOUGH THESE MAY BE FACTORS. STEERING FAILURE EVENTS OCCUR APPROXIMATELY ONCE EVERY 8 MONTHS. *TR

ON JUNE 21, 2013 PULLED INTO PARKING LOT AND ATTEMPTED TO TURN ENGINE OFF. KEY WAS STUCK IN THE ON POSITION. TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO REMOVE KEY BUT COULD NOT. CAR WAS STILL RUNNING. IN ORDER TO TURN CAR OFF HAD TO REMOVE THE FUSE PLUG FROM THE FUSE BOX UNDER THE HOOD. ALSO HAD TO DISCONNECT BATTERY IN ORDER TO NOT HAVE EVERYTHING ELSE CONTINUE TO RUN AND KILL THE BATTERY. I TOOK IT TO MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE KEY IGNITION BUT NOW THE CAR WILL NOT START. SEEMS LIKE ITS AN ELECTRICAL OR SECURITY PROBLEM WITHIN THE ENGINE. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM. CAR IS STILL IN SHOP WITH MECHANIC HOPING TO GET IT STARTED. *TR

CAR IGNITION DOES NOT WANT TO TURN TO "OFF" WHEN CAR IS TURNED OFF AND IN PARK, REFUSES TO RELEASE KEY UNTIL WE PRY IT OUT OR MOVE STEERING WHEEL INTO LOCKED POSITION. HAS EATEN A KEY ALMOST COMPLETELY THROUGH IN THE PAST YEAR. MANY SATURNS ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION. *TR

ESC WARNING LIGHT CONSTANTLY FLASHES UNDER BRAKING. CRUISE CONTROL WOULD SHUT OFF OR NOT GO ON FOR SOME REASON. I WAS ADVISED BY ANOTHER DRIVER THAT BRAKE LIGHTS WERE NOT FUNCTIONING. WHEN I CHECKED THE BRAKE LIGHTS I FOUND THAT THEY WERE CONSTANTLY ON BUT WHEN I ENGAGED THE BRAKES THE LIGHTS WOULD GO OFF. I WAS CONSTANTLY COMPLAINING ABOUT BEING TAILGATED AND NOW I KNOW WHY. IF YOU TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 60 MPH AND WHEN YOU HIT THE BRAKES THE BRAKE LIGHTS GO OFF INSTEAD OF ON THEN IT'S OBVIOUS WHAT CAN HAPPEN WITH THE CAR BEHIND YOU. I CALLED GM CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THE TIER 2 TECH AND THE SUPERVISOR ACTED LIKE THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. I TOLD THEM THAT THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE FAIRLY WIDE SPREAD AND THAT THE NHTSA WAS INVESTIGATING THE PROBLEM. THEY STILL CLAIMED THEY WEREN'T AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. I DO NOT FEEL I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS SINCE THIS PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE WIDESPREAD. WHEN IS THE NHTSA GOING TO COMPLETE IT'S INVESTIGATION BECAUSE I REALLY CAN'T AFFORD A LARGE BILL FROM THE DEALER. I BOUGHT THE CAR WITH 21,00 MILES AND IT NOW HAS 62,000...THE ECS LIGHT PROBLEM STARTED WITHIN A YEAR OF OWNERSHIP. THE CRUISE/ BRAKE PROBLEM STARTED PROBABLY A YEAR AGO. *TR

WHILE DRIVING WITH MY 3 CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE WITH ME, I STOPPED AT A STOPLIGHT. UPON THE LIGHT TURNING GREEN I FOUND MY VEHICLE SEEMED TO LACK THE POWER TO GO AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. I INCHED MY WAY THROUGH THE INTERSECTION AND OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THANKFULLY, NO ONE COLLIDED WITH MY VEHICLE DURING THIS LONG SCARY PROCESS. ONSTAR INFORMED ME OF CODES RELATING TO THE TRANSMISSION. ONCE I GOT THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, I WAS INFORMED THIS WAS VERY COMMON FOR THIS VEHICLE. IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE WAVE PLATE HAD BUSTED CAUSING MULTIPLE OTHER TRANSMISSION DAMAGES. EVEN THOUGH MY VEHICLE WAS UNDER THE 100,000 MILE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY PROVIDED BY GM, I WAS OVER BY A FEW MONTHS TIME WISE. NOW IT IS JUNE 2013 AND I AM AT JUST A FEW MILES UNDER THE 12,000 MILE WARRANTY ON THE REPAIR WORK DONE LAST OCTOBER AND I ENCOUNTERED A VERY SIMILAR INCIDENT. I INCHED MY WAY DOWN THE REST OF THE VERY WINDY AND DANGEROUS HIGHWAY TO MY HOME AS IT WAS SATURDAY AND THE DEALERSHIP HAD CLOSED 20 MINUTES EARLIER. ONSTAR AGAIN GAVE ME THE SAME DIAGNOSTIC CODES AS BEFORE TOO. ON MONDAY, I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE MANAGER WHO SENT A TOW TRUCK TO PICK MY OUTLOOK UP. AFTER NOT HEARING FROM THEM, I CALLED THIS AFTERNOON (TUESDAY) TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. I WAS INFORMED THIS TIME IT WAS DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE TRANSMISSION AND THEY WOULD NOT BE COVERING THE REPAIRS. SHE ALSO STATED THERE WOULD BE A CHARGE FOR THE TOWING! THESE ARE ALL ISSUES COMMON TO ALL OUTLOOK, ACADIA, AND TRAVERSE OWNERS. I AM VERY THANKFUL NEITHER MY FAMILY NOR ANYONE ELSE WAS HURT DURING THESE INCIDENTS, BUT IS THAT WHAT IT IS GOING TO TAKE FOR GM TO BE FORCED TO RECALL THESE TRANSMISSIONS? *TR

EARLY IN 2013, WE NOTED SOME MOISTURE IN THE TRUNK OF THIS VEHICLE. IN LATE MAY, WE HUNG A "DAMP RID" DESICCANT DEVICE IN THE TRUNK AND NOTED THAT THE "DAMP RID" DEVICE RAPIDLY SATURATED WITH MOISTURE AND ALSO FORMED CLUMPS AND/OR CRYSTALS IN THE TRUNK OF THE AUTO. (THE "DAMP RID" IN THE TRUNK WAS SATURATED WITHIN TWO WEEKS, WHEREAS IT TAKES A COUPLE OF MONTHS WHEN HANGING INSIDE A CLOSET IN THE HOUSE 1-888-326-7743). THIS WEEK, I INSERTED A BRAND NEW 9 VOLT BATTERY INTO A KIDDE MODEL NUMBER KN-COEG-3 CARBON MONOXIDE/EXPLOSIVE GAS MONITOR AND PLACED THE MONITOR IN THE TRUNK. WITHIN 24 HOURS, THE MONITOR WAS CHIRPING. THE PEAK LEVEL OF GAS AFTER 24 HOURS IN THE TRUNK OF THE CAR WAS 10. (THIS HOUSEHOLD MONITOR CAN NOT DISCRIMINATE THE PRECISE TYPE OF GAS IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE). TODAY, I OPENED THE TRUNK AND CLEANED EVERYTHING OUT. THE SOURCE OF THE MOISTURE WAS CLEARLY NOTED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE INSIDE OF THE TRUNK BECAUSE THE INTERIOR OF THE TRUNK WAS ACTUALLY MUDDY CLOSE TO A ONE WAY FLAPPER VENT/VALVE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE ONE WAY VALVE MEASURES AROUND 4 INCHES HIGH AND 6 INCHES LONG. I AM REPORTING THIS BECAUSE OF THE PROXIMITY TO THE GAS TANK FILLER CAP ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, 12 VOLT AC DELCO BATTERY ON THE PASSENGER SIDE IN THE TRUNK, AND AUTO EMISSIONS FROM THIS SATURN AND OTHER CARS. INHALATION OF ANY OR ALL OF THESE FUMES OR VAPORS CAN LEAD TO HEALTH PROBLEMS INCLUDING ERRATIC BEHAVIOR, DROWSINESS, ETC. OF COURSE THE RISK OF EXPLOSION AND CORROSION OF SENSITIVE ELECTRICAL AND FUEL COMPONENTS IS ACCELERATED IN DAMP CONDITIONS. *TR

THE MANUFACTURER KEY WONT START THE CAR WITHOUT SPENDING OVER 10 MIN. TURNING THE WHEEL BACK AND FORTH AND FINDING JUST THE RIGHT "SPOT". KEY WILL COME OUT FINE, EVEN WITHOUT SHUTTING CAR COMPLETELY OFF AT TIMES. THIS IS INSANE, FROM WHAT I'VE READ, THERE ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH COMPLAINTS SIMILAR TO THIS TO WARRANT AN INVESTIGATION OR RECALL. THIS IS NOT ONLY A SAFETY FEATURE, ITS JUST SHOWS HORRIBLE WORKMANSHIP. ALREADY BEEN A PART OF THE ORIGINAL POWER STEERING RECALL BEFORE IT BECAME A RECALL. PEOPLE NEED TO COMPLAIN, KEEP COMPLAINING AND DEMAND GM TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS CRAP. *TR